Chemical arms watchdog wins right to declare who poisoned Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal with nerve agent in UK
Decision gives the agency the ability ‘to point the finger at the organisation, the state that they think is responsible’, British official says
The world’s chemical weapons watchdog has won new powers to assign blame for attacks with banned toxic munitions, a diplomatic victory for Britain just months after a former Russian spy was poisoned on its territory.
In a special session on Wednesday, member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) voted in favour of a British-led proposal by a 82-24 margin, easily reaching the two-thirds majority needed for it to succeed.
The motion was supported by the United States and European Union, but opposed by Russia, Iran, Syria and their allies.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the vote would empower the OPCW “not just to identify the use of chemical weapons but also to point the finger at the organisation, the state that they think is responsible.”
“That’s crucial if we are going to deter the use of these vile weapons.”
Russia said the vote called the future of the organisation itself into question, with Industry Minister Georgy Kalamanov telling reporters: “The OPCW is a Titanic which is leaking and has started to sink.”